Exodus 28:36

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:36 Facies et laminam de auro purissimo: in qua sculpes opere cælatoris, Sanctum Domino.

You shall also make a plate of pure gold, on which you shall engrave, with the work of an engraver, “Holy to the LORD.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facies you shall make VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
2 et and CONJ INDECL
3 laminam plate NOUN ACC SG F 1ST DECL
4 de of/from PREP+ABL INDECL
5 auro gold NOUN ABL SG N 2ND DECL
6 purissimo most pure ADJ ABL SG N SUPER
7 in on PREP+ABL INDECL
8 qua on which PRON REL ABL SG F
9 sculpes you shall engrave VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
10 opere by the work NOUN ABL SG N 3RD DECL
11 cælatoris of an engraver NOUN GEN SG M 3RD DECL
12 Sanctum Holy ADJ ACC SG N
13 Domino to the LORD NOUN DAT SG M 2ND DECL

Syntax

Facies et laminam de auro purissimo forms the main clause: “You shall also make a plate of pure gold.”
The phrase in qua sculpes introduces a relative clause specifying what is to be done with the plate: “on which you shall engrave.”
The instrument phrase opere cælatoris describes the method—engraving work.
The engraved words Sanctum Domino contain an accusative adjective modifying an implied neuter noun (“something holy”) together with a dative indicating the One to whom the holiness pertains (“to the LORD”).
Since Domino refers to YHWH, it is translated “LORD.”

Morphology

  1. Facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main command verb; Translation: “you shall make”; Notes: typical ritual prescriptive future.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects this command to previous ones; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordinator.
  3. laminam — Lemma: lamina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of facies; Translation: “plate”; Notes: refers to the golden frontlet of the high priest.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates material; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: standard preposition of composition.
  5. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “gold”; Notes: precious metal of cultic ornamentation.
  6. purissimo — Lemma: purissimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter, superlative degree; Function: modifies auro; Translation: “most pure”; Notes: superlative emphasizes cultic quality.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “on”; Notes: expresses physical surface for engraving.
  8. qua — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in in the relative clause; Translation: “on which”; Notes: refers back to the lamina.
  9. sculpes — Lemma: sculpo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you shall engrave”; Notes: standard verb for carving metal.
  10. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with the work”; Notes: describes technique or craftsmanship.
  11. cælatoris — Lemma: cælator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: genitive of agent/type; Translation: “of an engraver”; Notes: identifies workmanship standard.
  12. Sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective used substantively; Translation: “Holy”; Notes: engraved title on the plate.
  13. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: dative of reference (“to the LORD”); Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH, requiring “LORD” in English.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.